Tom Cruise & Matt Lauer Faceoff

[tiffany]

After hearing him understate the severity of a condition so horrible as post partum depression I can barely even watch his movies. My sister and I started watching Collateral yesterday and it was so painful lol.

I feel the same way. ... I can't seperate Tom Cruise from the character anymore.

I agree - I can't watch any of his films at the moment. A friend of mine wanted to watch Magnolia the other day and I felt so irritated when he was on screen. Is it just me or has his media personality come to parallel that character completely in terms of strangeness?

 

[DreamsAreMade]

all the details (true or not) of the campaign, I mean relationship.

but anways, those are just my thoughts. and what do i know (im only 16 ) haha.

I don't think your age matters...you sound very...insightful


I agree that there are waaaay to many kids out there who are on drugs. But a lot of it's do to just b/c a kid is a *little hyper*, the doc's automatically think the kid had ADD/ADHD. And that's NOT true. While I agree some do have it...they jump the gun. And from experience, when I was little my cousin of the same age def. had ADHD and she was put on Ritalin. But she turned into a zombi, wasn't interested in anything, and didn't like to eat. I'd rather have had her normal hyperness any day. So yes, pple are way to doped up on things these days, but drugs can be helpful. Like what about people with high blood pressure, or diabetes? Just vitamins and exercise is supposed to cure that? Get real, Tom..

 

[scblonndie]

I agree with not being able to watch Tom Cruise movies anymore. I can always differentiate the movie star from the charactor but all of a sudden I keep picking up these annoying creepy vibes from him when I watch his movies.

 

[meme527]

tom and katie

http://img298.echo.cx/img298/61/screenhunter0104kh.jpg

Fox is not my favorite channel, but……..


Katie Holmes' Missing Days
Tuesday, June 21, 2005

By Roger Friedman

The newly engaged Katie Holmes still has some explaining to do to her friends and family.

There were 16 days in April during which no one seems to know where she was.

Holmes made a public appearance on April 4 at the premiere of "Steel Magnolias" on Broadway.

She came with her publicist, Leslie Sloane Zelnick, and a couple of other friends. They were there to support Rebecca Gayheart, who was making her Broadway debut.

I know this because I spoke to Holmes at length during the play's intermission. She said she had just moved into her New York apartment and was looking forward to seeing the city.

I also know that on April 4, she had not yet made the acquaintance of Tom Cruise. She briefly dated Josh Hartnett after breaking up with actor Chris Klein.

Hartnett, Klein, Cruise: Which of these three is not like the others?



Klein and Hartnett are young and tall. Cruise is middle-aged and height-challenged.

On the other hand, he's the biggest movie star in the world. They are not.

Holmes was busy during that first week in April. On April 7, she was photographed at the Fragrance Foundation's FiFi event.

Four days later, Holmes was still in New York and was photographed at VH1's "Save the Music" concert. She still had not met Cruise.

Sometime that week, her friends say, she flew to Los Angeles for a meeting with Cruise about a role in "Mission: Impossible 3." The meeting took place after April 11.

The next time anyone heard from Holmes was on April 27, when she appeared in public as Cruise's girlfriend and love of his life.

Where was she during those 16 days?

Somewhere during that time, she decided to fire both her manager and agent, each of whom she had been with for years and who were devoted to her.

The manager, John Carrabino, also handles Renée Zellweger and is beloved by his clients.

Holmes also acquired a new best friend, Jessica Feshbach, the daughter of Joe Feshbach, a controversial Palo Alto, Calif., bond trader.

The Feshbach family, according to published documents, has donated millions to the Church of Scientology. Jessica's aunt even runs a Scientology center in Florida.

According to Richard Behar's now famous 1991 story in Time magazine about Scientology, the Feshbachs were the subject of congressional hearings in 1989.

Behar wrote: "The heads of several companies claimed that Feshbach operatives have spread false information to government agencies and posed in various guises — such as a Securities and Exchange Commission official — in an effort to discredit the companies and drive the stocks down.

"Michael Russell, who ran a chain of business journals, testified that a Feshbach employee called his bankers and interfered with his loans. Sometimes the Feshbachs send private detectives to dig up dirt on firms, which is then shared with business reporters, brokers and fund managers."

The risk-taking Feshbachs, known the world over for making their fortune "shorting" stocks, and the level-headed, conservative Holmeses would be a difficult mix at a dinner table.

Katie's father, Martin Holmes, is the senior partner in a large and respected Toledo, Ohio, law firm. His son, Martin Jr., has recently joined the firm. He's a Harvard graduate. Katie's mom, Kathy, is frequently cited in Toledo for her charity work.

There is some fear among Holmes' close circle that her instant romance with Cruise is not as organic as portrayed.

For one thing, Holmes was raised a strict Catholic. Also, gone from the picture are two close Holmes friends who used to be with her when she did publicity for a film.

One of these is Meghann Birie, a childhood friend who has suddenly disappeared from Holmes' world. Another, a local TV producer here in New York, was too afraid to discuss the situation with me.

We know that Cruise auditioned several actresses for this role before settling on Holmes. This column reported a story about Jennifer Garner. There have been published stories about Kate Bosworth, Lindsay Lohan and Jessica Alba being approached.

A newer one involves Scarlett Johansson, who ran for her life when presented with a fait accompli dinner at the Scientology Celebrity Centre in Hollywood.

And history has been rewritten since the April 27 unveiling.

Curiously, since the Cruise-Holmes situation popped up, we have heard over and over again that Cruise was the young actress' idol when she was growing up.

That's certainly interesting because all of the publicity that used to run on Holmes — still found all over the Internet — lists another Tom as her favorite actor.

That would be Tom Hanks.






www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,160192,00.html

 

[Jadee]

^ o_0 I spent 5 minutes staring at this pic thinking "Gee Katie Holmes is uglier than I thought she was" before realizing it was a manip. LOL. Silly me.

 

[meme527]

^^

 

[tiffany]

Cruise is middle-aged and height-challenged

height challenged??

 

[DreamsAreMade]

^ o_0 I spent 5 minutes staring at this pic thinking "Gee Katie Holmes is uglier than I thought she was" before realizing it was a manip. LOL. Silly me.

OMG! I didn't even realize it was a manipulated photo until I read you post! Granted I didn't look at as long but I slowly scrolled over it.... ROFLMAO!

 

[Alpha Femme]

Psychiatrists Slam Cruise for Remarks


Tuesday Jun 28, 2005 9:00am EST
By Stephen M. Silverman

Tom Cruise, with Matt Lauer
CREDIT: DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS/WIREIMAGE


The American Psychiatric Association on Monday sharply criticized actor Tom Cruise for declarations about psychiatry and antidepressant drugs during last Friday's on-air confrontation with Today host Matt Lauer while promoting the movie War of the Worlds, Reuters reports.

After calling psychiatry a "pseudo-science," Cruise went on to tell Lauer: "Here's the problem. You don't know the history of psychiatry. I do. There's no such thing as a chemical imbalance. ... You don't even know what Ritalin is. ... You should be a bit more responsible in knowing what it is because you communicate to people."

The testy exchange happened after Lauer asked Cruise about his criticism of Brooke Shields, who praised medication and psychotherapy for helping her battle postpartum depression.

Cruise also labeled Ritalin, which is used to treat children for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a "street drug."

On behalf of the 36,000-physician-strong APA, the group's president, Dr. Steven Sharfstein, said in a statement: "It is irresponsible for Mr. Cruise to use his movie publicity tour to promote his own ideological views and deter people with mental illness from getting the care they need."

The rebuke from the APA went on to challenge Cruise's assertion that psychiatry lacks scientific merit.

"Rigorous, published, peer-reviewed research clearly demonstrates that treatment (of mental illness) works," the APA statement said. "It is unfortunate that in the face of this remarkable scientific and clinical progress that a small number of individuals and groups persist in questioning its legitimacy."

http://celebrity.aol.com/people/ataol/articles/0,19736,1077742,00.html

 

[kit]

Psychiatrists Slam Cruise for Remarks


Tuesday Jun 28, 2005 9:00am EST
By Stephen M. Silverman

Tom Cruise, with Matt Lauer
CREDIT: DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS/WIREIMAGE


The American Psychiatric Association on Monday sharply criticized actor Tom Cruise for declarations about psychiatry and antidepressant drugs during last Friday's on-air confrontation with Today host Matt Lauer while promoting the movie War of the Worlds, Reuters reports.

After calling psychiatry a "pseudo-science," Cruise went on to tell Lauer: "Here's the problem. You don't know the history of psychiatry. I do. There's no such thing as a chemical imbalance. ... You don't even know what Ritalin is. ... You should be a bit more responsible in knowing what it is because you communicate to people."

The testy exchange happened after Lauer asked Cruise about his criticism of Brooke Shields, who praised medication and psychotherapy for helping her battle postpartum depression.

Cruise also labeled Ritalin, which is used to treat children for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a "street drug."

On behalf of the 36,000-physician-strong APA, the group's president, Dr. Steven Sharfstein, said in a statement: "It is irresponsible for Mr. Cruise to use his movie publicity tour to promote his own ideological views and deter people with mental illness from getting the care they need."

The rebuke from the APA went on to challenge Cruise's assertion that psychiatry lacks scientific merit.

"Rigorous, published, peer-reviewed research clearly demonstrates that treatment (of mental illness) works," the APA statement said. "It is unfortunate that in the face of this remarkable scientific and clinical progress that a small number of individuals and groups persist in questioning its legitimacy."

http://celebrity.aol.com/people/ataol/articles/0,19736,1077742,00.html

Obviously , someone with an iota of common sense is paying attention , which is heartening , to say the least , in the face of such arrogant ignorance .

Thank you for bringing this in , Alpha Femme .

 

[Alpha Femme]

Thank you for bringing this in , Alpha Femme .

Thank you for sharing with us Kit

 

[Alpha Femme]

Updated: 08:26 AM EDT
War of Words

By BROOKE SHIELDS, The New York Times



I WAS hoping it wouldn't come to this, but after Tom Cruise's interview with Matt Lauer on the NBC show "Today" last week, I feel compelled to speak not just for myself but also for the hundreds of thousands of women who have suffered from postpartum depression. While Mr. Cruise says that Mr. Lauer and I do not "understand the history of psychiatry," I'm going to take a wild guess and say that Mr. Cruise has never suffered from postpartum depression.

Postpartum depression is caused by the hormonal shifts that occur after childbirth. During pregnancy, a woman's level of estrogen and progesterone greatly increases; then, in the first 24 hours after childbirth, the amount of these hormones rapidly drops to normal, nonpregnant levels. This change in hormone levels can lead to reactions that range from restlessness and irritability to feelings of sadness and hopelessness.

I never thought I would have postpartum depression. After two years of trying to conceive and several attempts at in vitro fertilization, I thought I would be overjoyed when my daughter, Rowan Francis, was born in the spring of 2003. But instead I felt completely overwhelmed. This baby was a stranger to me. I didn't know what to do with her. I didn't feel at all joyful. I attributed feelings of doom to simple fatigue and figured that they would eventually go away. But they didn't; in fact, they got worse.

I couldn't bear the sound of Rowan crying, and I dreaded the moments my husband would bring her to me. I wanted her to disappear. I wanted to disappear. At my lowest points, I thought of swallowing a bottle of pills or jumping out the window of my apartment.​

I couldn't believe it when my doctor told me that I was suffering from postpartum depression and gave me a prescription for the antidepressant Paxil. I wasn't thrilled to be taking drugs. In fact, I prematurely stopped taking them and had a relapse that almost led me to drive my car into a wall with Rowan in the backseat. But the drugs, along with weekly therapy sessions, are what saved me - and my family.

Since writing about my experiences with the disease, I have been approached by many women who have told me their stories and thanked me for opening up about a topic that is often not discussed because of fear, shame or lack of support and information. Experts estimate that one in 10 women suffer, usually in silence, with this treatable disease. We are living in an era of so-called family values, yet because almost all of the postnatal focus is on the baby, mothers are overlooked and left behind to endure what can be very dark times.

And comments like those made by Tom Cruise are a disservice to mothers everywhere. To suggest that I was wrong to take drugs to deal with my depression, and that instead I should have taken vitamins and exercised shows an utter lack of understanding about postpartum depression and childbirth in general.

If any good can come of Mr. Cruise's ridiculous rant, let's hope that it gives much-needed attention to a serious disease. Perhaps now is the time to call on doctors, particularly obstetricians and pediatricians, to screen for postpartum depression. After all, during the first three months after childbirth, you see a pediatrician at least three times. While pediatricians are trained to take care of children, it would make sense for them to talk with new mothers, ask questions and inform them of the symptoms and treatment should they show signs of postpartum depression.

In a strange way, it was comforting to me when my obstetrician told me that my feelings of extreme despair and my suicidal thoughts were directly tied to a biochemical shift in my body. Once we admit that postpartum is a serious medical condition, then the treatment becomes more available and socially acceptable. With a doctor's care, I have since tapered off the medication, but without it, I wouldn't have become the loving parent I am today.

So, there you have it. It's not the history of psychiatry, but it is my history, personal and real.

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/movies/article.adp?id=20050701073409990033

 

[meme527]

as a mother who suffered from depression;

amen!!!!

i saw brooke give an interview and i was shocked to hear her say things that i thought no one had felt but me. one friend confessed to me about her terrible, terrifying thoughts after we met in a new baby/mothers group, and i was so relieved to know i wasn't the only one. i am glad brooke shields wrote this recent article, in addition to her book - she's helped so many people by telling her story and being so brave and honest.

tom cruise needs help, i believe, but he also needs to shut the h**l up. looked like he was getting the picture on "the view" this morning - he refrained from jumping on furniture or pointing his finger in anyone's face. maybe papa spielberg told him to behave himself.

 

[MulletProof]

amen indeed!


now let's see what he comes up with after this, since..well, he's a beast.

 

[Oria]

the one thing i like about all of this discussion that seems to be going on in the us over what tom said, is the how medicine itself is dispensed. i have also seen first hand the effects of prescribing medicine to any person who claims depression. i have no doubt that depression, schizophrenia, bipolar, ppd, etc is real, but i think who does and doesn't get diagnosed, how they're diagnosed, and how the medicine itself is given out should be watched very closely. there are many unethical doctors who prescribe these meds to people who don't "really" need them. i just wish that part was watched more than anything else.

as far as tom goes, i now feel that i wish he didn't single out one person for his theories and or views on the matter. he's entitled to his opinion no matter what anyone thinks, but i don't think it was tactful nor respectful to single out brooke shields or anyone else for that matter to use and example of what he thinks. otherwise i will be seeing war of the worlds, because the two to me have nothing to do with eachother - but that is my feelings surely not gospel.

 

[kit]

the one thing i like about all of this discussion that seems to be going on in the us over what tom said, is the how medicine itself is dispensed. i have also seen first hand the effects of prescribing medicine to any person who claims depression. i have no doubt that depression, schizophrenia, bipolar, ppd, etc is real, but i think who does and doesn't get diagnosed, how they're diagnosed, and how the medicine itself is given out should be watched very closely. there are many unethical doctors who prescribe these meds to people who don't "really" need them. i just wish that part was watched more than anything else.

as far as tom goes, i now feel that i wish he didn't single out one person for his theories and or views on the matter. he's entitled to his opinion no matter what anyone thinks, but i don't think it was tactful nor respectful to single out brooke shields or anyone else for that matter to use and example of what he thinks. otherwise i will be seeing war of the worlds, because the two to me have nothing to do with eachother - but that is my feelings surely not gospel.

That's the problem , people who are prescribed SSRIs should be very carefully monitored by their doctors . They are not because it all costs money , GPs are overworked , or at least SAY they are , and the drug companies push doctors to prescribe SSRIs for as trivial complaints as lack of assertiveness , or shyness in company . It's NO wonder that the use of such powerful drugs is abused . What isn't that will make a profit ?

 

[meme527]

oria, i think you and kit are both right one the money. no point invalidates the other.

i don't know if this is the forum to go into my personal story - testimonial can be powerful coming from the mouth of famous people (especially someone like brooke shields whose life seemed so perfect) - i'm not sure how useufl it would be for me to go into my adventures with depression and antidepressants here.

but: they are INCREDIBLY powerful drugs, and they shouldn't be given out like candy, especially to children. there are all kinds of neurotoxins and chemicals that are in our food and water that can trigger ADD like symptoms in kids, but if you keep giving them the Super Choco Fizzy Bombs and just add the Ritalin, it's a win win situation for the food and drug companies.

adults and children must be monitored closely, and i have seen precious little of that happening, especially with my friends who had little or marginal insurance.

it will be interesting to see what effect, if any, this has on the box office though, because i heard they have to make $500 mil just to break even.

 

[Assembler]

I agree that they should be monitored very closely. Is this something that is different in Canada? I am able to visit my psychiatrist once every 6 weeks just to make sure I'm still on track (earlier when I was starting my medication it was once a week). And it's covered by health care. Family doctors can also prescribe anti depressants, or refer you to specialists, and those are also covered by health care. Psychologists aren't covered though.

In the states, or UK, or other countries do you have to pay for each visit? Or I guess it depends on your insurance. I guess if its too expensive to visit your doctor/psychiatrist, that explains why so many people are going unmonitored. Dangerous.

 

[kit]

I agree that they should be monitored very closely. Is this something that is different in Canada? I am able to visit my psychiatrist once every 6 weeks just to make sure I'm still on track (earlier when I was starting my medication it was once a week). And it's covered by health care. Family doctors can also prescribe anti depressants, or refer you to specialists, and those are also covered by health care. Psychologists aren't covered though.

In the states, or UK, or other countries do you have to pay for each visit? Or I guess it depends on your insurance. I guess if its too expensive to visit your doctor/psychiatrist, that explains why so many people are going unmonitored. Dangerous.

In the UK , under the National Health Service , treatment is free , but you have to wait , so those who can afford it have private health insurance - 30% of the population , counting in those whose employers pay for their private insurance , to facilitate reductions in employee absence etc etc .

The average wait on the NHS to see a consultant , for which you have to have a referral from your GP ( General Practitioner - family doctor ) can range from a couple of months , to two years , depending on what is wrong with you . But with a referral from your GP you can see a consultant in a couple of days , if you elect to go privately . ( private practice is legal in the UK for NHS consultants etc - whereas I believe private practice is banned in Canada ) .

This creates a two tier system , which to my socialist principles is iniquitous , but with employer funded private health insurance , few employees refuse the privilege , myself being one of them when I was at my wits end , literally .

When I became depressed , my GP laughed it off and I gradually sank lower and lower , finally attempting suicide , which fortunately did not come off , and once out of danger I got a referral from my GP to see a psychiatrist privately , under my insurance funded by the private-independent school in which I taught .

The psychiatrist prescribed Seroxat once a day and at the same time saw me for desultory sessions over 6 months and my GP only came into the picture when I ceased seeing the psychiatrist .
He did not seem terribly interested in any ' progress ' , on my part , and when the Seroxat started to make me somewhat ' jumpy ' , I calculated that it had done its job and gradually reduced my dosage over a month , entirely off my own bat .

There were withdrawal symptoms , but the literature told me to expect that and I persevered . Fortunately I was OK , although I have read that many become totally ' hooked ' on it and have a hell of a time coming off it .

So all in all the close monitoring that I was supposed to have did not occur , and I took action for myself . However , there are those who do not have access to medical literature to read up on the treatment they are having , or are just not interested in doing so , and the worst happens .

What with GP lack of interest or ' overwork ' as most GPs claim , it is easy for patients on SSRIs to slip through the net , but as I said in my previous post , it ALL boils down to money . Lack of funds in the health service, and pharmaceutcal companies pushing their drugs for prescription , in utterly unappropriate circumstances , in order to maximise profits and to please the CITY , and their shareholders .

Sorry for NOT being able to take a more optimistic stance on this BUT , prescribed in the correct circumstances and monitored correctly , SSRIs are an absolute boon in helping to treat depression , and for disgusting little pipsqueaks like Cruise to decry the condition AND an enormous weapon in the armoury to combat depression , merely to divert attention from his own ' unconventional ' lifestyle , is distressing in the extreme .

I'm afraid that I'm a cynic , but in an age when ' spin ' , news manipulation and celebrities with their public relations gurus make lying and deceit the norm , I'm afraid that utter cynicism is the only form of defence against the total distortion of the ' truth ' by con artists .

 

[Assembler]

Thanks for the post. Really informative.